


When Love Takes You In

by sunflowerrs



Category: Produce 101 (TV), X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Adoption, Family, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, and yes I plan on exploring them, namchogyul, seungwoo x eunji if you squint, seungyul are whipped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 06:36:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20755955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflowerrs/pseuds/sunflowerrs
Summary: 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘈 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥a story about building a family together{title and summary from "when love takes you in" by steven curtis chapman}





	When Love Takes You In

**Author's Note:**

> hello!  
first of all: english is not my first language, so there might be some mistakes here and there. if you see it please let me know  
I'd like to thank Bruna for being the best beta ever. I LOVE YOU THANK YOU ♡  
also a disclaimer: I don't know much about adoption but I did some researches so it'd be as close to real life as it could.  
this was inspired by this cute fanart: https://twitter.com/octako_/status/1168008397255397379?s=19

Taboos. All of that is just taboos. Every time Hangyul stopped and thought about his life he noticed he was living in a sea of taboos. Being an orphan and then an adopted child was a taboo. Working as a tattoo artist was a taboo, at least to elders. All his own tattoos were taboos. Being gay was a taboo. Being married to another man, even if it was legal now, was the biggest taboo in society. And Hangyul, being who he is, was about to dive into another one.

He and Seungyoun were married for almost five years, and he was more than sure that he’d be with the music producer for the rest of their lives. He was also sure that his lover wanted a family. A proper one, not only them, their cat and plants. They’ve always discussed it but never came to terms with anything concrete.

That’s why Hangyul, all by himself, started to do researches on adoption. He looked for orphanages, read the law fully (that now included them as eligible parents) and prepared himself to have that discussion with Seungyoun.

They were still young and life wasn’t perfect. They weren’t rich, didn't have a big house, but they had stable jobs, no police or drug record, their small house was theirs, no borrowed or rented, and they never starved. They fitted perfectly, so they probably wouldn't have a problem finding a child that would fit them and give them the love they deserved.

So he prepared everything as he waited for Seungyoun to come home – he cooked his favorite dish for dinner, settled the table nicely and brought all the papers with the information he needed alongside and left it on the balcony.

It didn’t take long for his husband to get there, his usual “Baby’s home” putting a smile on Hangyul’s face instantly. He soon heard the footsteps as he finished settling the food on the table, looking up to smile to Seungyoun. The man looked tired but still managed to be the most beautiful creature Hangyul has ever seen, a small smile on his face making his eyes sparkle a little. God, Hangyul was still so in love.

“You hungry?” Hangyul asked as he walked closer to Seungyoun to lay a peck on his husband’s lips. Seungyoun sighed and nodded, promptly walking to one of the chairs and sitting down.

“What’s the occasion? You almost never cooks.” The man asked, smiling up at Hangyul, who only returned the smile.

“We’ll talk about that later, okay? Now eat.” he said, sitting down on the opposite chair.

Seungyoun just nodded and proceeded to eat while talking about his day and some new client who might be a big name in the future, which could make his label bigger. Hangyul smile only grew. He loved to listen to Seungyoun talk about his day, about music and everything else he loved. “I’m so lucky” he said without much thinking. Seungyoun stopped mid sentence to look at him with surprised eyes. “You’re amazing, Seungyoun.”

“Ah… Why are you like this all of a sudden? Is it some special day that I forgot?” Seungyoun replied, looking genuinely worried – he had a terrible memory and tended to forget things easily. Hangyul let out a full laugh. “No, stupid. I’m just complimenting you. Can’t I just compliment my husband?” he said then, smirking before finishing his food. Seungyoun also turned his attention to the plate in front of him, small blush creeping up his cheeks.

As he finished his own plate, he began to clean everything and finally asked “What is this all about, love?” Hangyul proceeded to help him, mute, until they finished everything, and then pulled Seungyoun for a kiss. It wasn’t passionate or long, just a slow and soft touch, the bit of love they needed after being apart for a full day. As they ended the kiss, Hangyul quickly grabbed the papers in one hand, holding Seungyoun’s hand in the other, and walked them to the living room. They sat side by side on the couch, Seungyoun now looking a bit nervous.

“What is this? Why do you have all these papers?”

“Well… there’s something I need to tell you. I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while but I had to prepare myself first and-”

“Are you going to fill divorce?” Seungyoun interrupted Hangyul, his eyes wide in horror as he tightened the grip in Hangyul's hand. Hangyul only looked at him confused before chuckling.

“I’m sorry I thought I was kissing you just a few seconds ago? Of course I’m not gonna divorce you, not in this life.” He replied, chuckling again, and Seungyoun sighed, feeling stupid. “Anyways, it’s important. Babe, I know you’ve always wanted a family, more than us and Luna. So I’ve been researching, as there’s a new constitution and lots of new laws, and I found something nice. Here, read it” he then handed the papers to Seungyoun, who cautiously held everything up and started to read.

Hangyul just put an arm around his husband’s waist and waited for him to finish reading everything, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb on his ribs. When Seungyoun finished he just looked up at him, his eyes filled with so many emotions. “Are you saying…”

“Yes, I am saying. I want us to adopt a child. I want us to have a son or a daughter and be a complete family.” Hangyul said, still caressing him. Seungyoun was silent and Hangyul was already expecting it. “I know that it’s a lot to think about since we’re not… conventional, and you might not be secure about this, but I just want you to know that I love you and I respect any decision you make. I just want to give you what we ever wanted, babe” he finished, his free hand going up to cup Seungyoun's cheek.

It was all true, Seungyoun knew it. They had always wanted a family, they wanted it so bad since they just married. But it was hard. Even with their legal marriage everything was hard. He lost all the contact with his family, who wanted nothing to do with him after he came out, and Hangyul lost some big jobs too, as some clients were still homophobes who lived in the past.

And on top of that being a gay couple wanting to be gay parents, in a country that treated adoption as one of the biggest taboos ever, it was too much. He wasn’t psychologically and emotionally ready back then. And now? He wasn’t so sure.

He didn’t feel the tears falling, only noticing them when Hangyul dried it with his thumb. “Love, I… I…” he tried to speak, but it was hard. He inhaled deeply and tried again “I really, really want this, but I’m…” and he couldn’t go on, a sob escaping his lips.  
Hangyul pulled him in for a hug “I know, I know you’re afraid, but babe, I promise you that nothing bad will happen” he said, caressing the other's hair “I talked to a friend of mine who’s a lawyer and he said he can help us with everything. We just have to fill some papers and look for the kids. But if it’s not what you want-”

“I want it” Seungyoun cut in, his voice muffled as his face was buried in Hangyul’s neck. He then looked up, his face already dry “But what if it doesn’t work? What if we don’t find the child? Or find them but don’t fit the profile? Or if we turn out to be terrible parents?” as he ranted, Hangyul still cupping his face, their cat, Luna, got up on his lap and settled herself there. Hangyul smiled.

“Our baby here thinks you’re wrong” he said, and Seungyoun let out a small laugh. “If you don’t wanna jump in head first it’s okay. It’s not urgent, you can take your time. Read everything, do your own research, I can take you to talk to Seungwoo, and then we decide. Okay?” he asked, looking Seungyoun in the eyes, and the other nodded, his hand now caressing the cat on his lap. “Good. Take your time and do as your wish, babe. I just want what’s best for you” Hangyul finished, leaving a kiss on the other’s forehead before joining him in petting Luna.

In the days that came, Seungyoun did just as Hangyul suggested. He read every single thing he could find about adoption process and application, the laws, the orphanages, the process and even found himself a lawyer. It wouldn’t hurt to have another opinion, right?

He also spent a huge amount of time thinking. Thinking about his life, his marriage, his current financial situation, his career, what he could offer to that child. He thought and thought and thought, without stopping, his ideas getting messy and affecting him enough that his best friend decided it was time to intervene.

“What’s going on, dumbass?” Jimin said as she sat on his work desk, looking down at Seungyoun, who had been staring out of the window for God knows how long. He just sighed. “Wanna grab a coffee and talk about it?” she asked, her tone a little softer than before. He nodded and got up, grabbing his coat on the way out.

They walked down the street in the chilly autumn air, the cold wind messing their hair. Both were silent, Seungyoun trying to organize his thoughts to form a proper sentence and Jimin patiently waiting for him.

Only when they entered their favorite cafe and had their orders in hand that Seungyoun started to talk.

“Hangyul wants to adopt a child” he said, his voice low as they sat down close to the window with the street view. Jimin only stared at him, sipping on her tea with her eyebrows raised.

“Is that bad or…”

“No. Not actually” he replied, taking a sip of his coffee before continuing “But I’m afraid, kinda.”

“Why?” she said, her mug now on the table as her hand grabbed Seungyoun’s hand in a reassuring grip.

“It’s… you know how Korea is with adoptions, right? Even from straight couples. Now imagine from a gay one” his voice was now barely a whisper, his tone urgent. “This is honestly what I want the most, to form a proper family with Hangyul and live happy, but I’m so scared of everything that could go wrong”. Jimin nodded, her hand still over his friend’s one. “I’ve done some research and I talked to a lawyer too. She said it will be fine and that we’re good with the new laws, but still…”

“You’re afraid of what comes next” she finished, as if she was reading his mind. He only closed his eyes and let his head fall, tears threatening to fall. “Look, I’ve known you forever, time enough to know how amazing you are, and I know Hangyul good enough to know he’s incredible too. I also know how much you want this and how much you two love each other” she said, her voice loud and firm enough to make him look up “I know you’re scared that you’ll fuck up and shit will happen, but listen to me: you can’t control everything, Seungyoun. You have to live, you have to let yourself be happy and live your dream and also help someone to live their own dream, too. Think about how much you can change a life if you adopt them.” Jimin continued, seeing her friend’s eyes teary. “A lot of things could happen, but you’re safe now. The law protects you and Hangyul is beside you. I’m here too, and everyone else who loves you is here. Just trust us and live your best life, Seungyoun-ah. You deserve this” she finished, smiling.

Seungyoun was at a loss of words. He felt so stupid now, for being scared of everything. He smiled through his tears. “I hate that you’re always right, asshole”.

Jimin laughed loudly.

That night, when he got home, he told everything to Hangyul and agreed to meet with their lawyers later. Hangyul gave him the biggest and happiest smile ever, showering him with kisses and hugs and “I love you”s. Seungyoun was happy.

The meeting happened a few days later, both agreeing to take each of their lawyers so they could have as much point of views as they could. Their talk was good and easygoing, both Seungwoo and Eunji assured them that everything was alright and they could go on with their search. They had to fill some papers and join a waiting list, but other than that, it's was fine.

They had to fill some forms about the kid they wanted and it was the hardest part for Seungyoun. How could he limit the love he had to give to one type of child? It was tough.

“Look, you don’t have to do this” Eunji said, her voice serious but caring “but it’s easier to get past the waiting line if you have some specifications that separate you from the other’s. It can be literally just gender and age as far as I’m concerned, but it’s still easier.”

Seungyoun looked over at Hangyul, who promptly nodded, grabbing the formulary paper. “We’re gonna think about this and meet you again with the formulary filled, okay?” Hangyul said, smiling at both Seungwoo and Eunji. They smiled back.

“What do you think, babe?”

It was later that night, they both sprawled out in their bed, the infinity of papers with them.

Seungyoun sighed. “It’s so hard. I never actually thought about this…” he said, looking at the blanks he had to fill in with details about the child he wanted.

“Can I be honest, then?” Hangyul said, sitting up suddenly, and Seungyoun nodded. “I’ve always wanted a boy” he smiled softly “in my dreams we’re always playing with a boy who has sharp eyes and puffy cheeks” at that his eyes got a bit teary. Seungyoun felt his heart swelling and he moved up to kiss Hangyul's cheek.

“Okay, it’s a boy” he filled the blank, smiling a little. “Eunji told me that most couples want babies less than three years old, so I think if we choose someone older than that it would be easier” he continued, a little more excited. Hangyul smiled and nodded, agreeing. He wrote a “+3” in the other blank. That were the only things he could think of.

“That should be enough” Hangyul said, hugging his husband’s waist and leaning his head on his shoulder. “Now let’s get some sleep cause we have to start our journey.”

Seungyoun smiled big and turned around to hug him back.

After they gave the formulary to Seungwoo, they were told to just wait. They could go and see the kids in the orphanages, of course, but that could mean emotional damage, so they were strongly advised to wait for a child that fitted they profile to show up.

It was hard, honestly. Neither of them could fully concentrate in anything as they waited for an any kind of confirmation.

Seungyoun’s colleagues quickly noticed that he was strange, his mind was always off and his work was always taking a lot longer to get done. After they all talked to him about his concerns, Seungyoun told them what was happening and they felt a little relieved, but at the same time still worried. It was unusual and uncertain, he was waiting for something he didn’t know if he’d get or not. But they didn’t say anything about it.

Hangyul wasn’t that different himself. It was hard to keep his focus on anything that wasn’t his mind and his concerns regarding the adoption process. Yohan, his best friend and co-worker, noticed that too. He already knew about what was happening but didn’t know what to do to help him.

“It’s okay, Yohan-ah” Hangyul would always say when Yohan asked him anything related to the thoughts running his mind

They both stayed like that for days, both of their minds on the same thought without any distraction. As days turned into weeks and months, they both started to lose hope. Every time they contacted any of their lawyers they’d say they had to wait a little bit more, have a little more patience. Hangyul was about to give up.

“I’m sorry” he said one sunday morning while they had breakfast. “It was stupid and I just made us suffer with this. I’m sorry” he then hid his face in his hands, a sob leaving his mouth.

“No, stop this” Seungyoun said rushing to his side and hugging him tightly. “Don’t say you’re sorry. It’s not your fault and it’s not over yet, okay? It has just been a few months. Let’s wait a little bit more, okay love?” he continued, his head now tucked in Hangyul's neck, his own tears streaming down slowly. “Just a little bit”.

It was the middle of april, spring filling the country with colorful flowers, when they got the news.

Both of them were called almost at the same time by their lawyers saying that they had a boy that fitted their profile. Seungyoun was at the studio, in the middle of a recording, when Eunji gave him the news. He literally screamed as tears of joy started to fall. Jimin and Nathan were almost instantly by his side, hugging and congratulating him. It wasn’t that different for Hangyul as Seungwoo told him the news while he waited for Yohan to finish with a client so he could leave. But, different from Seungyoun, he didn’t scream. He just silently cried and thanked any entity out there that answered his prayers.

Later that night they both celebrated the best they could before the day they’d meet the boy who could be their son.

It was nerve wrecking to wait, they both holding hands for their lifes to try to hide the way they were trembling. They were in the waiting room expecting the orphanage director to call them in, so nervous they missed the constant eye contact and smiles their lawyers were throwing at each other.

They were so caught up in their own minds that they almost missed the lady calling their names. Almost.

Hangyul was the first one to get up, bringing Seungyoun together and bowing down politely. The lady smiled at them and motioned for them to get inside one of the rooms.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen and lady” she smiled at the four of them. “My name is Shin Yumi, I’m the director of this orphanage and the one who mediated this.” The two of them smiled back and introduced themselves quickly.  
“I assume you know the basics of the process from now own.” Yumi said, her face now serious, and they both nodded. “Good. Now please sign this contract and these papers here so we can move on.”

The both males nodded and started to scan everything quickly. It was about their commitment of the month and half the kid would spend with them before the actual adoption and some other legal matters. They signed it in no time.

As they finished Yumi got up and motioned for both of them to follow her. Seungyoun glanced at Hangyul, his heart beating faster than ever. Hangyul smiled at him, reassuring. They both started to walk.

They crossed a corridor that looked endless, the door at the end seeming to take an eternity to get closer. As they approached it they started to hear kids laughing and playing. That made Seungyoun’s chest swell and he tightened the grip in Hangyul’s hand. They finally stopped in front of the door and waited for Yumi to open it. She then told them to follow her inside, and so they did.

They walked into a small room with two bunk beds, two bags on the floor and one small boy inside. They could still hear the other kids outside, much louder now, but the inside was really quiet. The boy had his back turned to them, his big, black hair shining back on them. Yumi touched him on the shoulder and said “Meet your new family, honey”.

Both men inhaled sharply and held their breaths as the kid turned around. Then Hangyul let go all at once, feeling his legs jelly and his mind dizzy.

The boy looking back at him was exactly like the one from his dreams. He couldn’t believe it.

Seungyoun was stunned, too. The sharp eyes and big, soft cheeks reminding him of that conversation he had with Hangyul. He quickly hugged Hangyul’s waist with one hand, supporting him up.

“Hangyul, Seungyoun, meet Nam Dohyon. He’s four years old and have been here with us for a few months now.”

Dohyon.

Nam Dohyon.

That was the name of their son. Nam Dohyon.

They both started to cry as they said hi to the boy, who still looked confused. Hangyul kneeled down in front of him, a big smile on his face. “Hello, baby boy. I’ve been waiting for you for so long” he said as he put one hand on the boy's hair, the other blindly searching for Seungyoun’s, who quickly grabbed it and kneeled down, too.

He couldn’t say anything, he just cried and smiled and let himself feel everything.

They’d be so happy.

After that they got back to the waiting room as Yumi finished some things. This time they didn’t miss the proximity between Seungwoo and Eunji, but decided to not comment on that, too focused on what was about to happen.

Hangyul was quick to hug Seungyoun, burying his face in the other’s neck and breathing in his scent. Seungyoun held him tightly, as happy as ever. He knew that they had to go over the temporary month and everything, but he also knew things would work out fine. They would be a happy family, they both knew it.

It didn’t take long for Yumi to come with Dohyon and his bags, and they soon said bye to the orphanage, taking the boy to their car. They said goodbye to their friends who helped them through all that and got moving.

Dohyon was silently watching the road, his face serious, and they decided to leave him like that for now. Hangyul looked over him through the rearview mirror every once in a while, and Seungyoun kept holding Hangyul’s hand while soflty singing some songs that were on his mind.

Only when they got home that they started to talk. Hangyul was the first to break the ice, holding Dohyon up in his arms. “Hey little boy, this is your home now” he pointed to the small house and the boy looked over, a glimpse of surprise there “isn’t it nice, Dohyon-ah?” the boy nodded and Hangyul smiled, looking over at Seungyoun, who was on the verge of tears again.

Dohyon was a quiet child at first, only talking when they talked to him. The only time they’d listen to him talk was when he was at his room playing with his toys. Hangyul figured it must be hard for him to open up, but Seungyoun was afraid that the boy didn’t like it and wanted to come back, especially as he kept calling them misters and refused the word dad.

As days passed by the boy started to loosen up around them, accepting their hugs and smiling more. One night, when they were about to put him to sleep, he showed them a drawing he made of the three of them playing with a ball. Seungyoun crumbled down crying and Hangyul felt a happiness he never imagined he could feel.

When their month ended, they met again with Yumi and the lawyers to settle everything down.

It was perfect, they finished the bureaucracy and finally could call Dohyon their son.

It was so happy but also so weird, thinking about everything they went through to get there. Hangyul never felt this happy before, and he was sure Seungyoun felt the same.

When they got back home, they finally felt like they had ended a chapter on their lives to start a new one, with a new character. Dohyon was laying on the ground playing with Luna and they were just there watching, sitting on the couch letting their reality hit them fully.

“Seungyoun-ah” Hangyul murmured, his arm coming up to rest on the other’s shoulder. Seungyoun rested his head on Hangyul’s chest and hummed, signaling him to go on. “Seungyoun we’re a family. Like we always dreamed, babe.”

Seungyoun was about to respond when Dohyon came up Hangyul’s legs, settled down on his lap and hugged both of them.

“Family” he murmured. “My family”.

That would be their happiest chapter, they both were sure.

It was august, the summer heat at the highest point, when it finally happened.

They had decided to go on a picnic as it was their day off and the sun was high on the sky.

Dohyon was super excited with the idea and Seungyoun prepared everything for a perfect day. Hangyul even spent a little bit more money than usual to buy them some nice snacks.

It was a nice day in family. They were playing in the park, Dohyon running around with other kids and playing soccer with the both of them, laughing happily.

When they were all tired and in need of drinks, they sat down on the ground, breathing heavily. Dohyon sat in the middle of them, drinking his juice happily, humming one of Seungyoun’s songs they were listening earlier.

After finishing his drink, he looked up at Seungyoun, touched his face and said “Dad, thank you” he then turned to Hangyul and held his arm that supported his hand “Papa, thank you” he then opened both his little arms to try do hug them and said “Thank you for being family. Dohyon is happy.”

As if on cue, both Hangyul and Seungyoun moved down to kiss the boy’s cheeks. Dohyon giggled and they both murmured at the same time “We’re happy too.”

They were the happiest family on earth.

**Author's Note:**

> that's all! I hope y'all liked reading it as much as I liked writing ♡


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